We picked up Dockers trousers for less than pounds 35 a pair expect to spend pounds 50 here but our best buy

We picked up Dockers trousers for less than pounds 35 a pair (expect to spend pounds 50 here), but our best buy was a Timberland waterproof jacket for pounds 40 which costs pounds 100 in the UK.Bloomingdales is far more glamorous, but still a scrum. They probably sell everything you could possibly want in here, and then put it in their famous Brown Bag, but an hour or so of squashing ourselves into lifts and going in circles trying to find something we spotted 10 minutes earlier, but were too stupid to buy on the spot, finally sent us running for the doors.Still, there is plenty more to see around here. Just across the road from Bloomingdales is a branch of Banana Republic, an upmarket collection of men and women's casual clothing, all cashmere, soft cotton, velvet and linen. A few blocks north is one of New York's ritziest department store, Barney's. It's a beautiful place, but you have to have more money than sense to shop here.Head back for Fifth Avenue and you will find New York's famous toy shop FAO Schwartz on the corner of Central Park, and Bergdorf Goodman department store over the road. Continue south for Tiffany's, Prada, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor.If you plan your day well and you could stop for a late lunch under the tiled ceiling of the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station - try the Kamamoto oysters and New England clam chowder.

Or call by at rush hour and take a seat at the bar above the main concourse to watch the stream of commuters disappear through the marble arches to their respective trains, and admire the newly cleaned ceiling - aqua blue and gold, plotted with the constellations of the stars. Look for the small black rectangle they left to show how dirty the place had become.Three days of shopping and sightseeing will bring you near to exhaustion point and you certainly won't get to cross everything off your list. Never mind - there's always next time.FACT FILEshopping in new yorkGetting thereKate Simon travelled to New York courtesy of Virgin Holidays (tel: 01293 617181), staying at the Hotel Metro. There is limited availability before Christmas, but you can still book for the January sales. In January and February, a three-night package costs pounds 399 per person, based on two sharing, including return flights from Gatwick or Heathrow, transfers and three nights with continental breakfast at the Hotel Metro, off Fifth Avenue.Getting aroundYou will spend most of your time walking.

It is very hard to get lost on Manhattan because it is built on a grid, with the avenues running north to south and the streets dividing them into blocks running east to west, with the exception of some areas, such as Greenwich Village, where the streets follow a more winding pattern and have names rather than numbers The subway is the fastest way to get about A token costs $1.50 and takes you as far as you want to go Or you can buy a MetroCard, which you charge up Forget about buses - they are very slow. Cabs are cheap but many cab drivers know only the obvious routes. Just be clear about your destination.Further informationBritish citizens do not need a visa for a short stay. Beware, travel insurance is expensive; it could cost you between pounds 35 and pounds 60 just for a three-day break. Everyone expects a tip: reckon on a dollar per bag carried to your room, a couple of dollars to bartenders and cab drivers, and match the tax on your restaurant bill for the waiter.NYPages is a thorough guide to New York. For a copy and an NYCard which gives access to discounts and services, write to Miss I N Smyth, NYTAB, 11 Berkeley Street, London W1X 6BU, enclosing pounds 1.50 per copy for postage and packing, or call to order up to two copies of the guide (tel: 0331 405060, calls cost pounds 1.50 per minute, so no extra charge will be made for the guide) Allow four weeks for delivery.. Do you have any advice on getting work in an Alpine resort? I have just finished my degree and although I don't speak French, I have worked in the hospitality sector as a chef.

Tom Bell by e-mailThe travel editor writes: The Ski Club of Great Britain (tel: 0181-410 2009) produces the Alpine Employment Fact Sheet, which lists the types of work available, from washing-up to being a tour rep, and gives contacts for relevant tour operators. It is updated several times a season and gives general advice, details on resorts and recommends books. The fact sheet is free to members, pounds 2 to non-members (tel: 0181-410 2015).Many of France's top resorts are purpose-built with self-catering accommodation, so there is less scope for casual work in restaurants or bars, and ski bums generally fund their season in France working as chalet maids or tour reps. But the pay is generally better in France than in other countries.Some of the older Alpine resorts, such as Chamonix and Morzine, with less self-catering accommodation and more apres-ski, may offer better opportunities for hospitality work. Competition for jobs is fierce and a command of the French language is essential - both to secure a job and to enjoy yourself while there. There are many English bars in Meribel and Val d'Isere where French would not be essential, but you must get your CV in early to start work in November or December as these jobs are very popular and often taken up by the same clique every year.Austria joined the European Union in 1995, so EU residents can turn up and find a job on the spot. Hotel work is plentiful and local tourist boards provide lists of hotels.